The Herbal Library

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Browse every herb in the database by name, category, or the body system it's traditionally associated with.

All categories Aromatic Culinary Medicinal

Results

17 herbs

No. 001Medicinal

Abrus Precatorius

Abrus precatorius

Rosary pea or jumbee bead, a vine whose leaves are used in traditional medicine. Its bright red-and-black seeds contain abrin, one of the deadliest poisons known.

No. 002Medicinal

Ackee Leaf

Blighia sapida

Leaves of the ackee tree, whose fruit is Jamaica's national dish. The leaves are used in folk medicine for pain, fever and stomach problems. Unripe ackee fruit is poisonous.

No. 003Medicinal

Cardiospermum Halicacabum

Cardiospermum halicacabum

Balloon vine, a climbing plant with papery, balloon-like seed pods, eaten as a leafy vegetable in India and used in traditional Indian medicine for rheumatism, pain, coughs and skin diseases.

No. 004Medicinal

A woody vine from the Amazon rainforest, named for its hooked thorns, used by Indigenous Amazonian peoples for centuries and now promoted for arthritis. There's no conclusive evidence it helps any health condition.

No. 005Medicinal

Caulis Spatholobus

Spatholobus suberectus

Ji xue teng, or "chicken blood vine", a woody vine whose cut stem oozes red sap. It's used in Chinese medicine for anemia, irregular periods and rheumatic joint pain.

No. 006Medicinal

Clematis Root

Clematis chinensis

The root of a Chinese climbing plant, known as wei ling xian, used in traditional Chinese medicine for rheumatic joint pain and stiff, numb limbs. It can be toxic.

No. 007Medicinal

Comfrey

Symphytum officinale

A plant whose root is made into creams for minor sprains and bruises, recognised in Europe as a traditional remedy. Never take comfrey by mouth: it contains substances that damage the liver.

No. 008Medicinal

Devil's Claw

Harpagophytum procumbens

A southern African root recognised in the EU as a traditional medicine for minor joint pain and mild digestive problems. Trials of variable quality suggest it helps osteoarthritis and back pain.

No. 009Medicinal

Golden Eye Grass

Curculigo orchioides

Kali musli or xian mao, an endangered herb valued in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine as a tonic and aphrodisiac, and used for rheumatic conditions. Research so far is in the lab and in animals.

No. 010Culinary

Gungo Peas

Cajanus cajan

Pigeon peas, a major food crop around the world. The leaves are used in Chinese medicine for bone conditions.

No. 011Medicinal

John Charles

Hyptis verticillata

A Caribbean bush in the mint family, used since Maya and Aztec times for breathing, digestive, women's health and skin problems. It hasn't been tested in clinical trials.

No. 012Medicinal

Kadsura Pepper Stem

Piper kadsura

Hai feng teng, the stem of a pepper plant, used in East Asian medicine for over 2,000 years for rheumatism and joint pain.

No. 013Medicinal

Prickly Ash

Zanthoxylum americanum

The "toothache tree", a thorny North American shrub whose bark Native Americans used for toothache, rheumatism, fevers, colds and coughs.

No. 014Medicinal

Sarsaparilla

Smilax ornata

A plant whose root is boiled into Jamaican roots tonics and used for colds and flu. Research on sarsaparilla plants is mostly preliminary lab and animal work.

No. 015Medicinal

Speranskia

Speranskia tuberculata

A Chinese medicinal herb used to "dispel wind and dampness", promote circulation and relieve pain. Very little research has been published on it.

No. 016Medicinal

White Willow

Salix alba

Willow bark, a natural source of salicin, a relative of aspirin. Recognized in Europe for short-term lower back pain, and traditionally for joint pain, fever and headache.

No. 017Medicinal

Yucca Root

Yucca schidigera

A desert plant of the southwestern US and northern Mexico, used by Native Americans for arthritis. It's rich in soapy compounds called saponins and is approved as a food additive in the US, but evidence for arthritis is weak.